No matter how you dissect it, Hawes is enjoying his best start to a season, and possibly the best stretch of basketball he’s ever played at this level.

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Hawes had his most complete game of the season in Wednesday’s loss to Toronto, pairing 28 points with 10 rebounds. And each one of his points looked effortless, as the 7-footer made his first seven attempts overall and shot 10-for-13 from the floor.

There’s more. Statistically speaking, Hawes is near the top of league leaderboard in a few areas: He ranks fourth in the NBA and first among centers with eight double-doubles in 13 games. (It took him 56 games to do that last season.); He ranks 11th in the league and fifth among centers with 10.2 rebounds per game; He ranks 25th overall and fifth at his position with 16.2 points per game.

“As a whole,” Hawes said, “I think this is the best I’ve been playing.”

Hawes had a chance to reflect on the torrid opening to his season, and then some, at Thursday’s practice at PCOM.

Missing forward Thaddeus Young, who’s away from the team for personal reasons, the Sixers had to reshuffle the starting lineup against Toronto. That gave reserve Daniel Orton a chance to start at center, sliding Hawes into a power forward spot at which he probably feels more comfortable. There, Hawes represents a mismatch at both ends of the floor for opposing players.

“Without Thaddeus, we made him a target in the post (against the Raptors),” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “We saw a range of shots, from hook shots to drop-steps and so on. I think he’s a really good player that is young. His better days are ahead of him.”

Being a starter for Brown, Hawes said, has instilled in him a degree of unparalleled confidence. Last season, Hawes came off the bench in 42 of his 82 appearances. This season, he’s been in the first five every night.

Out of necessity? Maybe. By coincidence? Not at all. Having earned a place in the Sixers’ starting five, Hawes attributed his rise in the depth chart to strenuous offseason workouts.

“I think guys get comfortable,” Hawes said, “and I think you have to take every offseason as an opportunity to really improve one or two facets of your game. If you continue to have that mindset, it pays dividends down the line. Sometimes, guys come out at different stages (of their careers.)

“The biggest thing is minutes. That’s what people always say. Having the continued opportunity and the trust of the coaching staff and the players pays dividends.”

Hawes’ time is now. In addition to being on pace for the best scoring and rebounding averages of his career, Hawes has finely tuned his outside game. At .489, Hawes’ 3-point shooting percentage leads the team. (James Anderson’s .393 is the next-closest average.) With 136 career 3-pointers, Hawes ranks third all-time in that category among 7-footers.

What’s more, Hawes — who is shooting 23-for-47 this season from beyond the arc — is on pace for 140 3-pointers. There’s no chance he finishes with that many treys, but his improved touch from long range demonstrates the payoff for the work he’s put in.

“His ability to grow to the 3-point line and change games like that, we’ve seen,” Brown said.